


Hide and go seek

by bacoose



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, Other, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bacoose/pseuds/bacoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caboose makes a mistake, and doesn't tell Wash, until it's too late to fix; and Wash may have to make a decision he'll regret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide and go seek

"Ow! Bad Freckles!" Freckles bit Caboose when he wasn't paying any attention. He let go of Freckle's leash and looked down at the bite on his calf and let out a small whining noise, "That is not good! Washingtub will get angry at me!"

He looked around for something he could make a bandage out of, eventually deciding to tear a strip from his already tattered shirt and tied it around his leg, pulling his pants leg down around it. "There no one will know and everyone will be happy! Lets go Freckles! Freckles? Maybe he went back to the others."

Caboose went back to camp, trying his best not to limp, and making a brave face when he put pressure on his leg, it really hurt to walk, but Wash can't know Freckles bit him, Wash will take him away, and Caboose really didn't want that to happen. "Has anyone seen Freckles?" he asked aloud.

"...What?" Wash came out of the temporary shelter that was his, "You _lost_ Freckles?"

"Huh? No I didn't!" Caboose quickly answered, "He is just not here right now! Please do not hurt him!"

"Caboose, you do remember what our deal was right? And no more pets! We had enough trouble with Freckles!" Wash struggled not to yell, yelling would bring more attention than he wanted, especially since they were vulnerable at the moment. It was best to keep moving, the more  you move, the less likely you'll be caught.

"Yes I remember..." Caboose murmured quietly, "But don't shoot him if you see him!"

"Caboose...I'm sorry but I may have to. I'll try not to, but...look, I'm sorry about Freckles, but we got to keep moving. Pack up your stuff and get ready to get going."

"...Okay."

Caboose kicked some dust before heading to his own little fort that he made. It wasn't very fancy or very warm, but nothing could get in and that was good. He gathered what little he had, a warm blanket, an old music box that he wasn't allowed to play, some crayons and a few other essentials. The crayons weren't that essential but Caboose thought that maybe if he wrote messages, that other people would see them, and know where to go if they were in trouble; and when Caboose thought of that, it made him happy, even when things were scary.

When he was ready, Caboose went outside where everyone else was waiting and helped load things into the two jeeps. He counted everyone to make sure they were still here. Wash, Tucker, Sarge, Gruff, and Simon. Caboose missed Captain Crust and Doc, but they went away a long time ago, he strained to remember where they went. Wash said something about a farm, and that made Caboose happy, because the farm is where all the animals go! Maybe that's where Freckles went.

"Come on Caboose, I know you're sad about Freckles but we gotta get going." Wash said, patting Caboose on the shoulder.

Caboose nodded and got in the back seat, scratching his bite idly. It didn't really hurt anymore, it just really itched. Caboose couldn't decide if it itching was better than it hurting or not. At least he could walk sort of normally.

A few weeks passed, and something seemed...off. Caboose wasn't eating very much, and he spent most of his time staring off into space, either a look of vapid nothingness or a look of intense concentration was on his face, everyone was worried, especially Wash.

"..boose. Caboose!"

"Huh?" Caboose looked at...whoever was saying his name, his eyes having a hard time focusing, "Yes hello...?"

"Are you okay?"

Caboose furrowed his brow and really tried to concentrate on who was talking, a name floated up, Wash? Is that who was talking?

"Yes I am okay! Why?"

Wash looked really concerned, and he was looking at Caboose's hand...why was he looking at Caboose's hand? "You...may want to double check." Wash said.

Caboose brought his hand up to his face, and yelped in surprise, "What--what happened to my hand!"

Wash gingerly touched Caboose's fingers, almost every one was bent out of place, and twisting the wrong way. Wash took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before opening them and making eye contact with Caboose.

"Tell me the truth, when were you bitten?" he asked.

Caboose broke away from the eye contact, and murmured something.

"What?  Say it so I can understand it, Caboose. When. Were. You. Bitten?"

"..reckles and I were playing."

"SHIT. FRECKLES? CABOOSE THAT WAS WEEKS AGO, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD US SOONER!"

Caboose curled up, "I was scared. I didn't want you to take Freckles away!"

"I shouldn't have even allowed you to have Freckles in the first place." Wash shook his head, "Caboose, I'm sorry, but I really wish you had told us sooner, maybe we could have done something."

"I'm okay! I can still fight! I can still be of use!" Caboose said, panicked.

"We'll stay for a few more days, but..." Wash looked down at the ground, "I just don't know what to do with you Caboose. Just...go rest in your fort." Wash turned to everyone else, his face sullen. "We'll have to take care of this in the morning."

Caboose sulked the entire way back to his fort, not that it was a long walk in the first place; and went straight to the music box. Caboose wasn't usually allowed to play it, only during the daytime and when it was safe; luckily Wash had declared the area safe that morning. Caboose swaddled himself in his blanket, and tried to wind the key on the music box, forgetting that his fingers weren't much good at the moment. Caboose took a sharp breath, closed his eyes and moved his fingers back into place with some sickening pops. He opened one eye and tested out his hand. It didn't work as well as it used to, but it worked.

Caboose wound the key once, twice, three times, before setting it down and getting out his crayons and drawing pictures of things that made him happy, before shortly falling asleep.

Wash looked at the hovel Caboose called his fort as the chimey melody of the music box rang through the camp, "Caboose...I'm sorry." he murmured, before turning back to cleaning his gun, he wanted to make sure it would shoot properly, especially for what was about to come next.

Caboose woke with a start, wasn't something supposed to happen today? Bleary eyed Caboose crept out of his fort. "Hello?" he called out, a little confused. Wasn't there people with him? Where did they go? Caboose wandered out to the fire pit, where flames once blazed; but all that was left was ash from a fire that went out many days before. "Are you guys playing tricks on me?" Caboose called out.

Maybe they are hiding, and Caboose has to find them! Caboose looked around, and found the old tire tracks left in the mud, "Thats cheating!" He said with a frown, he didn't have a car to drive in! Caboose shook his head, maybe he could still find them...whoever they were; with these tracks!  
Caboose set off with a slight limp, not even aware that he was stuck between the living, and the dead.

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not add more chapters to this since I had a little bit extra planned, but wasn't able to include it all. Please tell me how you think I did!


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